Can't stop bingeing at night

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

Hi! So I have struggled with this mild binge-eating habit for about a year now, and every day I eat super clean and tell myself that I won't eat after dinner, but when the time after dinner comes, I always end up eating unnecessary food (whether it be healthy or dessert) and feel disgusting and bloated. I get to a point where I just eat everything in sight, especially peanut butter and ice cream. I wish i could throw it all out but my family eats it too! I have literally tried everything to get rid of this habit. I really need to lose at least 5lbs (i am 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 160lbs) because I do prom dress modeling and Im an avid competitive equestrian so basically I need to be super lean. Ugh.

YaGirlMaddi · January 2016

Nice to see theres another equestrian on here! Make sure you eat lots of protein. especially for dinner. Protein crushes your appetite BIG time.

KateTii · January 2016

Why not just make room in your day for the after-dinner treats? You might not be able to eat everything in the house, but you should be able to make enough room to wiggle in some satisfying treats - which should stop the endless eating.

mlclark86 · January 2016

You could try filling the time with something else...I know when I had this problem last time I tried to start a healthier life, I would go for a walk if I was thinking about food. If I couldn't walk I would make it a point to get to bed as early as possible (within reason) so as to not give me so much time to think about food. Also, you may want to consider eating slightly less at dinner and then having a small healthy snack a bit after. You could still consume the same calories but just divide it a little differently to allow you to indulge in a snack after dinner...then just make it a snack you want regret.

CAgirl_InMA · January 2016

I have the same problem, so I try to have one small treat each night, like a cup of hot cocoa or something that isn't too bad. I also do much better when I go to bed earlier, sometimes I think that I eat because I'm tired.

martyguy74 · January 2016

I like to eat some cottage cheese with sugar free jello. The cottage cheese contains protein so it fills me up.

SteveMFP123 · January 2016

I get bored at night and I overeat. I always leave calories left over for the inevitable binge.

madeleineld · January 2016

I have the same problem, and something that helps me (sometimes) is brushing my teeth and using listerine after my last meal--I think it makes me feel more done with eating, and it feels embarrassing to have to brush my teeth a second time after a binge, which can stop me from doing it.

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

YaGirlMaddi wrote: »

Nice to see theres another equestrian on here! Make sure you eat lots of protein. especially for dinner. Protein crushes your appetite BIG time.

Aaah cool another equestrian! What kind of riding do you do? And ok i will make sure i eat plenty of protein!

flipshine · January 2016

Glad to see there's other people struggling with this problem. I too suffer from binge eating, and it starts from the moment I start driving home from work. I've tried everything from eating more protein, eating heavier meals during breakfast and lunch but lighter during dinner, and also tried distracting myself. It worked some days, but then I revert back to bingeing a couple days later. It got so bad that I gained 15 pounds in a matter of 3 months, and the worst part is most of the weight went to my belly and thighs.

Then I came across an article online. Binge eating disorder is actually psychological and most likely stems from how you're feeling. I notice for me it strikes hardest when I'm bored or when I'm unhappy. And another interesting fact is that most people that suffer from this disorder are actually thin (or at least started that way). Here's a link to the website I found. You might find it interesting and helpful:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

Thanks everyone so much for all the great advice!!!

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

madeleineld wrote: »

I have the same problem, and something that helps me (sometimes) is brushing my teeth and using listerine after my last meal--I think it makes me feel more done with eating, and it feels embarrassing to have to brush my teeth a second time after a binge, which can stop me from doing it.

That is such a good idea I'll try it tomorrow! Thanks!

hollynurse803 · January 2016

I love everyone's suggestions. I find brushing teeth a good way to discourage more eating. Also fond something to keep your hands busy like crocheting, puzzles, paint by number...

cerise_noir · January 2016

KateTii wrote: »

Why not just make room in your day for the after-dinner treats? You might not be able to eat everything in the house, but you should be able to make enough room to wiggle in some satisfying treats - which should stop the endless eating.

^Yep! This helped me, as I wasn't contantly obsessing about not having this or that. If I want a treat, I will make room for it in my calories for the day. Sometimes I will even pre-log treats before my meals! I tend to go through phases where I'll have a chocolate bar a day and I'll still lose weight if I stay within my calories. Cutting out foods usually lead to bingeing for me.

If it fits, I eats.

glassyo · January 2016

I binge every night (within my calories). I eat lightly during the day and then have most of my calories at one time at night.

L_Master · January 2016

iluv2jump221 wrote: »

Hi! So I have struggled with this mild binge-eating habit for about a year now, and every day I eat super clean and tell myself that I won't eat after dinner, but when the time after dinner comes, I always end up eating unnecessary food (whether it be healthy or dessert) and feel disgusting and bloated. I get to a point where I just eat everything in sight, especially peanut butter and ice cream. I wish i could throw it all out but my family eats it too! I have literally tried everything to get rid of this habit. I really need to lose at least 5lbs (i am 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 160lbs) because I do prom dress modeling and Im an avid competitive equestrian so basically I need to be super lean. Ugh.

This has, more or less, been my struggle. I'm just begun to get a handle on it over the last 6 months, and some things that have helped for me.

1) Paying attention to hunger - What I mean by this is it's very easy, especially when you're used to binging on all kinds of sugar and fat, to start getting cravings. Often these cravings feel ALOT like you're hungry. What's worked for me to distinguish between the two is ask myself "Would I be totally cool with going down and eating a plateful of brocolli". If the answer is no, then I start to realize I'm not hungry, just craving.

If the answer is yes, I say okay and go grab a glass of water and make myself a small, maybe 200kcal plate of good food and then wait 30 mins. Usually I don't have a problem after that, if I'm still crazy hungry I might eat another round

2)Decoupling Food from Pleasure - I think a large portion of people that struggle with weight loss, especially binging, do so because they are emotional/boredom eaters. Quite possibly without knowing it. I've come to realize over the past year this really describes me, and I was pretty oblivious to it for a long time. Often at times where I didn't really have anything better to do, I'd find myself staring into the refrigerator holding the door looking for something to catch my eye. That's boredom eating, not hunger. Brocolli test works good there, and then I've made it my goal to try and replace that boredom eating with 15 minutes of being productive in some way.

The other danger is emotional eating. Which ranges from eating extra junk food because you slayed a hard workout that day, to craving food as a result of a stressful day, to wanting to treat yourself because you accomplished something meaningful. For me personally this is a very dangerous mindset. Food = Reward/Comfort just doesn't mesh well with weight loss, and makes it really easy to find excuses to eat more.

3)Chew, but don't swallow - I don't know if I'd call this a recommendation, but it worked for me. I would chew the junk food I wanted to eat to get the taste, then spit it out. Did it for about 2 cookies, then thought about it for a second and was thoroughly grossed out and all I could wonder is what, exactly, was I *kitten* doing? Helped me realize that I had a pretty bad mindset about food if I was willing to do that just to satisfy some cravings.

julie_zepeda · January 2016

This was a great post. I have the same issue and will try this recommendation as well as read the website provided earlier.

L_Master wrote: »

This has, more or less, been my struggle. I'm just begun to get a handle on it over the last 6 months, and some things that have helped for me.

1) Paying attention to hunger - What I mean by this is it's very easy, especially when you're used to binging on all kinds of sugar and fat, to start getting cravings. Often these cravings feel ALOT like you're hungry. What's worked for me to distinguish between the two is ask myself "Would I be totally cool with going down and eating a plateful of brocolli". If the answer is no, then I start to realize I'm not hungry, just craving.

If the answer is yes, I say okay and go grab a glass of water and make myself a small, maybe 200kcal plate of good food and then wait 30 mins. Usually I don't have a problem after that, if I'm still crazy hungry I might eat another round

2)Decoupling Food from Pleasure - I think a large portion of people that struggle with weight loss, especially binging, do so because they are emotional/boredom eaters. Quite possibly without knowing it. I've come to realize over the past year this really describes me, and I was pretty oblivious to it for a long time. Often at times where I didn't really have anything better to do, I'd find myself staring into the refrigerator holding the door looking for something to catch my eye. That's boredom eating, not hunger. Brocolli test works good there, and then I've made it my goal to try and replace that boredom eating with 15 minutes of being productive in some way.

The other danger is emotional eating. Which ranges from eating extra junk food because you slayed a hard workout that day, to craving food as a result of a stressful day, to wanting to treat yourself because you accomplished something meaningful. For me personally this is a very dangerous mindset. Food = Reward/Comfort just doesn't mesh well with weight loss, and makes it really easy to find excuses to eat more.

3)Chew, but don't swallow - I don't know if I'd call this a recommendation, but it worked for me. I would chew the junk food I wanted to eat to get the taste, then spit it out. Did it for about 2 cookies, then thought about it for a second and was thoroughly grossed out and all I could wonder is what, exactly, was I *kitten* doing? Helped me realize that I had a pretty bad mindset about food if I was willing to do that just to satisfy some cravings.

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

L_Master wrote: »

iluv2jump221 wrote: »

Hi! So I have struggled with this mild binge-eating habit for about a year now, and every day I eat super clean and tell myself that I won't eat after dinner, but when the time after dinner comes, I always end up eating unnecessary food (whether it be healthy or dessert) and feel disgusting and bloated. I get to a point where I just eat everything in sight, especially peanut butter and ice cream. I wish i could throw it all out but my family eats it too! I have literally tried everything to get rid of this habit. I really need to lose at least 5lbs (i am 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 160lbs) because I do prom dress modeling and Im an avid competitive equestrian so basically I need to be super lean. Ugh.

This has, more or less, been my struggle. I'm just begun to get a handle on it over the last 6 months, and some things that have helped for me.

1) Paying attention to hunger - What I mean by this is it's very easy, especially when you're used to binging on all kinds of sugar and fat, to start getting cravings. Often these cravings feel ALOT like you're hungry. What's worked for me to distinguish between the two is ask myself "Would I be totally cool with going down and eating a plateful of brocolli". If the answer is no, then I start to realize I'm not hungry, just craving.

If the answer is yes, I say okay and go grab a glass of water and make myself a small, maybe 200kcal plate of good food and then wait 30 mins. Usually I don't have a problem after that, if I'm still crazy hungry I might eat another round

2)Decoupling Food from Pleasure - I think a large portion of people that struggle with weight loss, especially binging, do so because they are emotional/boredom eaters. Quite possibly without knowing it. I've come to realize over the past year this really describes me, and I was pretty oblivious to it for a long time. Often at times where I didn't really have anything better to do, I'd find myself staring into the refrigerator holding the door looking for something to catch my eye. That's boredom eating, not hunger. Brocolli test works good there, and then I've made it my goal to try and replace that boredom eating with 15 minutes of being productive in some way.

The other danger is emotional eating. Which ranges from eating extra junk food because you slayed a hard workout that day, to craving food as a result of a stressful day, to wanting to treat yourself because you accomplished something meaningful. For me personally this is a very dangerous mindset. Food = Reward/Comfort just doesn't mesh well with weight loss, and makes it really easy to find excuses to eat more.

3)Chew, but don't swallow - I don't know if I'd call this a recommendation, but it worked for me. I would chew the junk food I wanted to eat to get the taste, then spit it out. Did it for about 2 cookies, then thought about it for a second and was thoroughly grossed out and all I could wonder is what, exactly, was I *kitten* doing? Helped me realize that I had a pretty bad mindset about food if I was willing to do that just to satisfy some cravings.

Thanks so much for all the advice!! Its really helping me out! I will admit i have done the chew and not swallow thing...and its gross. But i will keep everyhting in mind thanks!

ellidahl · January 2016

I struggle with this one too. One tip I use is to keep my hands busy with crafting etc, if my hands are crocheting I can't eat anything!

mylittlerainbow · January 2016

The prelogging so as to save calories for evening does help. The crafting as ellidahl mentioned works for me. And my most effective strategy is to brush my teeth and rinse after dinner, and then I CAN'T eat any more!

pyrowill · January 2016

You could try not eating till midday or 1pm? That way you'll probably have the calories for it.

d_thomas02 · January 2016

After dinner I brush my teeth, use mouth wash, and then use a flouride rinse that says no eating or drinking for thirty minutes. That gives my stomach time to tell my brain its OK for the night. (My stomach is a slow talker that way.)

CourtneyLomonaco · January 2016

Paint your nails. Can't touch anything for quite a while.

hollynurse803 · January 2016

pyrowill wrote: »

You could try not eating till midday or 1pm? That way you'll probably have the calories for it.

unfortunately this will slow your metabolism right down...

MarkFraser142 · January 2016

As others have noted, you really need to plan for a night time snack.

You are much better off eating 100 calories under maintenance than aiming for 300 calories under maintenance, getting hungry, binging and end up being 200 calories over.

glassyo · January 2016

hollynurse803 wrote: »

pyrowill wrote: »

You could try not eating till midday or 1pm? That way you'll probably have the calories for it.

unfortunately this will slow your metabolism right down...

No.

reddeament · January 2016

I also have a problem with over-eating in the evenings - I have found herbal teas have helped curb my appetite in the evening. I guess the water helps fill me up and the fact they have flavour makes me feel like I'm not depriving myself. My favourite is this herbal tea by Yogi tea called Nach dem Essen. Also I budget in a night-time snack of 100-200 calories.

SoDamnHungry · January 2016

Save some calories for an after dinner snack. And maybe eating clean all day is what triggers you to go totally crazy at night. You can eat foods you like in moderation anytime.

iluv2jump221 · January 2016

Thanks everyone for all the great advice!!!

kshama2001 · January 2016

iluv2jump221 wrote: »

Hi! So I have struggled with this mild binge-eating habit for about a year now, and every day I eat super clean and tell myself that I won't eat after dinner, but when the time after dinner comes, I always end up eating unnecessary food (whether it be healthy or dessert) and feel disgusting and bloated. I get to a point where I just eat everything in sight, especially peanut butter and ice cream. I wish i could throw it all out but my family eats it too! I have literally tried everything to get rid of this habit. I really need to lose at least 5lbs (i am 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 160lbs) because I do prom dress modeling and Im an avid competitive equestrian so basically I need to be super lean. Ugh.

How many net calories have you consumed through dinnertime?

mandykent111 · January 2016

iluv2jump221 wrote: »

Hi! So I have struggled with this mild binge-eating habit for about a year now, and every day I eat super clean and tell myself that I won't eat after dinner, but when the time after dinner comes, I always end up eating unnecessary food (whether it be healthy or dessert) and feel disgusting and bloated. I get to a point where I just eat everything in sight, especially peanut butter and ice cream. I wish i could throw it all out but my family eats it too! I have literally tried everything to get rid of this habit. I really need to lose at least 5lbs (i am 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 160lbs) because I do prom dress modeling and Im an avid competitive equestrian so basically I need to be super lean. Ugh.

I have the same problem - I think that we all do.

You should check out Liporidex PM on amazon. I love all of their stuff. But this is my favorite bc its got no stimulants in and no melatonin either. I'm able to not think about food and get a great night sleep.

Thanks me later

Can't stop bingeing at night

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